Pleasing God: Faith

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Faith pleases God; without faith, it is impossible to please Him. Faith begins with believing that God is, that He exists. Paul addresses this in Romans 1, where he shows what it means to be without this kind of faith:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:18-23)

Faith acknowledges who God is and responds to Him with glory and gratitude. The author of Hebrews takes it a step further: Faith is not only properly acknowledging that God is, it is also believing that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. As Paul noted, we can know that God is, and even understand His attributes and power, by the witness of His creation. But the knowledge that He rewards those who seek Him comes to us by the revelation of His Word.

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. (Isaiah 55:6)

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

To diligently seek God is to seek Him with all your heart. When you do, He promises that you will find Him, and that is the reward. “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward’” (Genesis 15:1). This resulted in great blessing for Abraham, and for all the world through him.

Faith pleases God because it comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). How could God be pleased with us when we don’t believe what He has said? Faith is receiving the Word of God and believing that everything He has said is true and will come to pass. God has no pleasure in those who doubt Him and His Word.

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” (Mark 11:22-23)

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. (James 1:6-7)

The Greek word for “doubt,” diakrino, literally means to be of two judgments. Part of you says Yes, part of you says No — it is a mixed signal that adds up to unbelief. Some Christians try to sanctify their doubt as a sort of godly humility. To them, the certainty of faith is an arrogant thing. However, the Scriptures teach that God rewards those who seek Him with the whole heart, believing they will find Him, just as He promised. But there is no guarantee for those who doubt; they should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Fortunately, when we find ourselves in doubt, we can turn to the Lord, just as the father of demonized boy did. Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” The man answered, “I believe; help my unbelief.” We can take our doubts to Jesus and ask Him to do something about them. We can get into the Word and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the mind of Christ. Faith will come, and that pleases God.

Faith — believing God and His Word — pleases God. Seek Him with all your heart, and you will receive the reward: You will find Him.

The Table of Joy

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

(Psalm 16:11)

The Table of the Lord is a table of joy because it is the table of His presence, and in His presence is fullness of joy. The Hebrew word for “presence,” panim, refers to the face. God’s presence is His face turned toward us.

Jacob experienced this presence on the night he wrestled with the angel of the Lord and would not let Him go until he received a blessing. That is when his name was changed to Israel He called the name of the place Peniel, “The Face of God.” He said, “For I have seen God face [panim] to face [panim] and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30).

Many people fear the presence of the Lord because they think He is out to destroy them. But the truth is that He wants to show them the path of life. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). He is the path of the life.

David declared that at the right hand of the Lord there are pleasures forevermore — lasting happiness, delight that never ends. Paul tells us that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:20), and that we are seated together there in Him (Ephesians 2:6).

Everlasting life and endless joy are found in Jesus Christ. In His presence is fullness of joy, and the Table of the Lord is a sign of His presence, given to us by the Lord Jesus Himself. It is a powerful manifestation of His presence, when we receive it in faith.

When He took the bread, He blessed it and gave it to His disciples, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). Likewise, He took the cup and said, “This is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). When we take the bread and the cup, we are receiving the sign of His presence. That is why this table is often called “communion,” because we are together with Him, face to face. And that is pure joy.

The Table of the Lord is the table of joy, the table of His presence. Go to this table often and let Him fill you with His life and joy.

How to Give Thanks in Everything

In everything give thanks. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

The Bible tells us to give thanks in everything. It is easy enough to give thanks when times are good and things are going well, although we often neglect to do so. But how are we supposed to give thanks when times are hard and nothing seems to be going right?

First, notice that we are to give thanks in everything, not necessarily for everything. Bad things happen; we do not have to give thanks for them, but we can give thanks in the midst of them, knowing that God is in still on His throne, and that He is much greater than any problem that could ever come our way. Giving thanks to God is a very effective way to begin relating to His solution instead of focusing on the problem. Paul expands on this in his letter to the Philippians:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

Bad things happen, but we do not have to be full of worry and anxiety about them. We can go to God in prayer. To some, that may seem to be nothing more than acquiescing to or retreating from the problem. But it is actually addressing the problem head on by taking it to God, the One who can do something about it.

Supplication is prayer that presents a definite need to be met by a definite provision. Problems require solutions; supplication goes after the solution. Make your requests known to God. Don’t be vague; ask with specificity for whatever is needed. Wrap it all up in thanksgiving, knowing that God hears, that He cares and that He will answer you and take care of the situation.

Paul adds this, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). When you give thanks in everything, you will not be anxious, but filled with the peace of God.

Give thanks to God in everything, even the bad things, for your prayers and thanksgiving will bring the power, provision and peace of God to bear. When the solution appears, you will be thanking Him for the opportunity of seeing His glory displayed on your behalf.

How to Rejoice Always

Rejoice always. (1 Thessalonians 5:16)

The Greek word used here for “rejoice” means to be glad, full of cheer, joyful. Paul tells us not only to rejoice, but to rejoice always — to always be full of cheer and gladness.

How is that possible? We find Paul saying that same thing in his letter to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:6). Notice the prepositional phrase “in the Lord.” The kind of joy Paul is talking about is supernatural — the joy of the Lord. Nehemiah said, “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

This joy is an inside job; it does not come from outward circumstances. Real joy is not based on what is happening around you, but on what is happening in you. You can have the greatest joy in the worst of situations, and that joy will be the strength you need to prevail in the hardest of adversities.

We receive this joy, first of all, through faith in Jesus Christ, who came that we might reconciled to God. Through faith in Him we receive the new birth, born of heaven by the Holy Spirit. By that birth, we are born into the kingdom of God, and that has everything to do with joy. For one thing, Jesus said that when we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, everything else will be taken care of (Matthew 6:33). For another, the Bible tells us that “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

The kingdom of God is full of joy because the Spirit of God is the source of joy. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). If you know Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you; if you have the Holy Spirit, then you already have the fruit of the Spirit at work in you. It may not yet be apparent in your life, but it is a work in you, ready to be released.

How do you release this joy of the Lord in your life? You release it by yielding to it, and since it is a fruit of the Spirit, you yield to it by yielding to the Spirit. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul put it this way:

Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:18-21)

Let the Holy Spirit fill you, control you, lead you. Then you will be filled with so much joy, you will not be able to contain it all, but it will overflow to others. Your heart will be filled with gratitude and your mouth with praise, regardless of whatever difficulties you may be facing.

True and lasting joy is all about God. David said, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). In Jesus Christ, God is present in us by His Spirit, and when we yield to the Spirit, that presence begins to manifest in our lives. Not only that, but Paul tells us that we are seated in the heavenlies in Jesus Christ, who is seated at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 2:6). When we become aware of who we are in Jesus Christ, and where we are seated in Him, it is hard not to rejoice.

Father, I thank You for Jesus Christ, who came to save me and make me Yours. I thank You that I am already seated in the heavenly places in Him, at Your right hand, where there is fullness of joy, and pleasures forevermore. I thank You that the fruit of joy is already at work in me through the Holy Spirit. I yield to Your Holy Spirit of Joy, and I thank You in Jesus’ name, Amen.

How to Pray Without Ceasing

Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Many Christians wonder how one can pray without ceasing, without interruption, without omission. Sounds daunting, doesn’t it? But that is because we often think of prayer as that thing we do in a religious meeting, or when we pull ourselves away from all other activity, assume a certain position, or time, or place and speak religiously appropriate words to God. Who can do that all the time? In fact, most people, including me, find it mind-numbingly hard to keep it up for fifteen minutes. Even after only five minutes, our eyeballs start to glaze over.

Fortunately, that is not what Paul had in mind. He was not speaking of duty, but of relationship—and that changes everything. Prayer as a duty is something you perform, and when you’re done, you’re done, until it is time to do it again. But prayer as a relationship is continuous. It is being constantly aware of and enjoying the presence of God.

It is like my relationship with my wife. There are plenty of times when we sit and discuss things, verbally relating to one another. But there are also many times when we are simply together, knowing each other is near, even though no words may pass between us. We may each be doing different things, but we enjoy being together.

In the same way, praying without ceasing is being together with God. This will come as a shock to some people, but not only does God love us, He actually likes being with us. He has many things He wants to say to us, and if we will listen, He will whisper them to us. He is also ready to listen to us when we speak to Him. We can have constant fellowship with Him, even in the middle of whatever else we may have to do.

David understood about the constancy of this relationship; the Book of Psalms is largely a collection of his prayers and praises to the Lord. He said, “My eyes are ever toward the LORD” (Psalm 25:15).

Another psalm makes this promise: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Dwelling and abiding speak of the continual awareness of the presence of the Lord.

Clement of Alexandria, who was a teacher of the late second and early third centuries, understood that the life of prayer is 24/7. He said, “For the saints, even their slumber is prayer.” Psalm 127:2 says, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so He gives His beloved sleep.” When we spend our days in the secret place with the Most High—whatever else we may have to do—we will find our rest under the shadow of His wings. It is all prayer.

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection stumbled upon this truth. He was a 17th century Carmelite monk who wanted to know God more, but none of the spiritual guidance he received seemed to be of any help. Finally, he decided that he would not do anything at all except out of love of God. In this way, he developed such a continual awareness of God and His love that he found himself just as much at home with the presence of God in the kitchen as he was in the chapel. It was all the same to him, all part of a constant fellowship with God. He discovered the secret to praying without ceasing, and recorded it in his famous little book, The Practice of the Presence of God.

The Lord Jesus was in constant fellowship with the Father in everything He said and did. He said nothing He did not hear His Father saying and did nothing He did not see His Father doing. Everything He did was out of the desire to please God. He did have many times of special communion with the Lord, as we all should, but even in the heat of ministry, He was continually aware of the Father’s presence and purpose.

Praying without ceasing is continuing in fellowship with the Father. When your heart is always toward Him, even your slumber is prayer.

Faith is Declaring the End from the Beginning

Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:9-10)

This is how God operates — He declares the end from the beginning and has no doubt that it will manifest at the appropriate time. That is faith.

The author of Hebrews said, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). That is, faith is the underlying reality of things which are not yet visible, but which we fully expect to see. It is declaring the end from the beginning.

Jesus demonstrated this in Mark 11 when He spoke to the fig tree which should have brought forth fruit, but did not, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again” (Mark 11:14). Then He continued on His way. He did not wait around to see if it would happen. He had spoken what the end of that tree would be and He had no doubt that it would come to pass just as He had spoken. He fully expected that no one would ever eat from that tree again.

Coming back by the next day, Peter noticed that the tree had withered. “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away” (v. 21). Jesus then talked about faith and how it works.

Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:22-24)

What was Jesus doing? He was teaching them how to declare the end from the beginning. When you declare something with your mouth, and do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will be done, then whatever you say will be done. When you declare the end from beginning, you do not have to wait until the end to see if what you said came to pass.

Likewise, when you pray, believing that you receive (the NASB says, “have received”) whatever things you ask, you will indeed have them. When you declare the end from the beginning, you do not have to wait until the end to see if you received what you asked. If you prayed in faith, then you have already received it, and it will be revealed at the proper time.

Faith is declaring the end from the beginning. That is how God operates, and how He created you and me to operate, too.

When We Pray, Things Change

"When we pray, things change."

—my friend Wally at breakfast this morning.

Simple, but profound.

The Table of Abundantly Available Help

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.

(Psalm 46:1)

Concerning “a very present help,” the margin of my study Bible notes that it means “an abundantly available help.” In other words, God is always there for us with more than enough help to take care of any and every situation fully and completely. He is our refuge, our strength, and our help in all things.

Today I took the Table of the Lord using this Scripture, because Jesus is not only my refuge and strength, He is my abundantly available help — my provision — in all things. In Him I have more than enough to meet every challenge.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)

We are more than conquerors in Jesus Christ. Everything about Him means abundance for us, for He came not only that we might have life, but that we might have it “more abundantly” (John 10:10). In Him the love of God is “shed abroad” (literally, “gushing out”) in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:11). In Him we receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17). This grace is more than enough so that we might not only be blessed ourselves but also become a blessing to others.

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

All this we have in Jesus Christ, who poured out the love of God for us by His own body and blood on the Cross.

The Table of the Lord speaks to us of the abundantly available help we have in Jesus Christ.

Pleasing God: His Word, His Will, His Way

Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. (John 5:19)

I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. (John 5:30)

Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” (John 8:28-29)

Jesus was all about pleasing the Father. Everything He did, He did to please God. He did not do anything or say anything that He did not see or hear the Father doing or saying. He did not seek His own will, but always yielded Himself fully to the Father. He is the perfect expression of the will of God.

When He was baptized by John in the Jordan river, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and the voice of the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Afterward, the Spirit led Him out into the wilderness, where the devil tried to lure Him into an agenda that did not from God — and anything that does not come from God comes ultimately from the devil.

• Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matthew 4:3).
• Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’“ (Matthew 4:5-6)
• Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:8-9)

First, notice how the devil tries to introduce doubt by the use of “if.” In the first two attempts he says, “If you are the Son of God.” But Jesus was quite secure in His identity; He knew exactly who He was and why He came — to do the Father’s will — and He did not have to prove Himself to anybody.

“Turn these stones into bread,” the tempter says. Jesus answers, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (v. 4). We do not need to heed any word that comes from the devil, but true life comes from hearing, believing and obeying everything that comes from God alone.

The devil tries again. “Throw Yourself down from this pinnacle; God’s angels will rescue You.” It is a perverse appeal to the Word of God; perverse because it is not according to the purpose of God. Jesus answers very simply, “It is written, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God” (v. 7). It does no good to believe God’s promises if we are not following His will.

In the third attempt, the devil uses “if” to introduce doubt about God’s plan. “I will give You all the kingdoms of the world if You will fall down and worship me.”God had already declared His will to give Jesus all the nations for His inheritance (Psalm 2:8), but it would come by God’s plan, not the devil’s. The glory would be to God alone. So Jesus says, “Away with you, for it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (v. 10).

Jesus had no agenda of His own, but was fully committed to that of the Father, and that greatly pleased God.

Pleasing God is about believing His word and following His will in His way.

Understanding Prosperity

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 2)

Alongside every country road there are usually two ditches, one on either side. Controversial issues are generally like that; there are extremes and reactions on either side. I find this to be true about how Christians react to the Biblical teaching concerning prosperity. In 3 John 2, we see the will of God, as expressed in the prayer of the apostle John, is for His people to prosper in all things and be in health, according to how they are prospering in their souls.

That seems pretty straightforward, and it is just one of many equally clear Scriptures in the Bible concerning prosperity. But, oh how Christians can get into the ditches concerning this.

On the one hand, there are some Christians who, by their preaching, seem to think that it is all about money, and who appear to live it out as greed and self-aggrandizement. Some of the televangelists fit into this category and very often earn the harsh criticism they receive.

On the other hand, there are some who react so vehemently to this first group that they actually fall into the same error: They think that prosperity is about money and greed. They see the ditch on one side of the road and back so far away from it that they stumble into the ditch on the other side. Since, to their reactionary way of thinking, prosperity is all about money and greed, they wonder God could possibly want prosperity for His people? Or as one fellow asked, “How does that benefit the kingdom of God?”

Show them the Scriptures which reveal God’s desire to prosper His people, such as Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-3, Psalm 35:17, Psalm 112 or Proverbs 3:9-10, and the response will likely be, “Oh, but that is Old Testament.” As if God has somehow changed His mind and that the new and better covenant that was instituted in Jesus Christ and which is based upon better promises is in some way inferior to the Old Covenant (see Hebrews 8:6). Not so.

Others will resort to the old standby, “Yes, but that is spiritual prosperity” when the Biblical context reveals that it is about all kinds of prosperity. (Part of the error I see here is the mistake that sees the spiritual realm as good but the natural realm as evil. The Bible, however, teaches that the natural realm derives from the spiritual realm, because God, who is Spirit, created the natural realm. But that is a discussion for another time.)

Many of those who oppose prosperity teaching from the Scriptures and who reject the Old Testament promises of prosperity, when it comes to the same teaching in the New Testament, they are oblivious to it. They have learned how to gloss over, ignore or otherwise explain away. It is not intentional, but reactionary. They do not mean to do it, but their disgust with those who think prosperity is all about money and greed causes their eyes to be blinkered to what the Scriptures actually have to say.

So what does the Bible really have to say about prosperity? Simply put, to prosper means to do well. What is the extent of the prosperity God has for us? I think the apostle John said it pretty well: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” Note, first, that God wants us to prosper in ALL things (even as He already said so many times and in so many ways in the Old Testament). Since John adds, “Just as your soul prospers,” we can see that this is not only about inward, spiritual prosperity but about outward, physical prosperity as well. Truly, it is prosperity in ALL things that God desires to release into your life and mine. It is not limited to finances — that is probably the least of what it is about—but finances are by no means excluded from the promise.

Second, and this is very important, the measure and qualifier of outward, physical prosperity is inward, spiritual prosperity. Again, we see that when John says, “Just as your soul prospers.” It is a comparative statement. If you are not prospering in your soul, in your inward man, you will not truly be able to prosper in anything else. But when you are prospering in your inward being, you are positioning yourself to receive prosperity in all things.

Prosperity of soul, as we learn from the context (3 John 3-5), has everything to do with walking in love. So, greed and self-aggrandizement are out. Jesus taught us that when we make the kingdom of God our priority, everything else will be taken care of (Matthew 6:33). That’s prosperity!

Paul gives us a good description of prosperity in 2 Corinthians 9:8, which happens to be in a financial context. In exhorting the Church about giving, Paul gives this promise:

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

When we put God first in all things, He will cover all the bases — even the financial ones — with plenty more besides in order to support good works. For His desire is not only to bless us, but to bless others through us. Or as it has been so frequently expressed, “We are blessed to be a blessing.”

Prosperity is not something to be feared, not when it comes from God’s hand. And that is exactly what He has promised for you and me. It is not just about you, but about God and what He wants to do in and through you.

Faith and the Sovereignty of God

It has been said that prayer is not about overcoming God's reluctance, but about laying hold of His willingness. It is the same way with faith. Faith is believing the Word of God. Indeed, faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). So faith that is divorced from the Word of God is not the biblical kind of faith. Apart from the Word, it can be very dangerous and is, at best, presumptuous.

But whenever God has spoken, we can believe to the fullest extent whatever He has said. To expect God to honor His Word and keep His promises does no violence whatsoever to God's sovereignty. Rather, it honors God in His sovereignty, for God has exalted His Word even above His name (Psalm 138:2). Whenever He promises something, it is because He fully intends to do it.

Now, notice how Jesus begins His discourse on mountain-moving faith and prayer that gets results:

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:22-24)

“Have faith in God.” Mountain-moving faith has everything to do with God. It is not contrary to God but in alignment with Him.

Jesus then explains how to engage that faith: “Whoever says to this mountain ... and does not doubt those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” Here is faith at work in the heart, and here is confession made with the mouth. That is how faith works, and it gets results without violating the sovereignty of God.

Next, Jesus relates it to prayer: “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” The NASB has “believe that you have received them.” This must be in line with the sovereignty of God because Jesus said it, and He never did anything that was contrary to the will of God.

Faith is all about believing the Word of God and therefore honors His sovereignty.

Believing the Prosperity of God

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 2)

The will of God for His people is that we prosper in all things and be in health, even as our souls prosper. From the context, we see that prosperity of soul is about walking both in truth and in love.

For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, who have borne witness of your love before the church. (3 John 3-6)

To prosper means to “do well.” When the Bible says “prosper in all things,” that means His purpose is for us to do well in all things. This echoes His promises from the Old Testament:

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

(Psalm 1:2-3)

Prosperity, or doing well, in “all things” is by no means limited to finances, as some seem to suppose, but includes every aspect of life. By the same token, “all things” by no means excludes finances, as others seem to suppose, but are included as much as anything else. God wants to prosper all His people in finances as well as in everything else. Again, this is all related to soul prosperity — doing the truth and walking in love.

To those who love and trust in Him, God promises, among other things, that He will command the blessing on us in our storehouses and in all we set our hands to (Deuteronomy 28:8). He also promises that wealth and riches will be in our houses (Psalm 112:3). He promises that, when we honor Him with our possessions and with the firstfruit of all our increase, our barns will be filled with plenty and our vats overflow with new wine (Proverbs 3:9-10). Psalm 35:27 tells us that God takes pleasure in the prosperity of His people.

So, there is no question that God wants all His people to prosper in all things, including our finances. His Word confirms it repeatedly. This is not some extraneous “prosperity gospel,” but the consistent teaching of the Scriptures. These promises, being the Word of God, who cannot lie, are therefore sure and true, and can be fully relied upon.

Now, along with all that, Jesus promised that there would also be persecutions. We see this in the promise of hundredfold return:

Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark 29:30)

Because Jesus has said this, it would be foolish for anyone to think that there are not going to be persecutions. But by the same token, it would be foolish to think that there is not also going to be the hundredfold return of all that is given up for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel. Jesus explicitly states that such return is to be received “now in this time” as well as eternal life in the age to come.

You can confidently rely upon the promises and prosperity of God.

The Holy Spirit Pulling With You

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26)

No matter what life throws at you, if you know the Lord Jesus, you can make it through. Because all who no Him have the Spirit of God dwelling in them. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses (of which we have many). The Greek verb for “helps” is synantilambanomai and means, “to take hold of together with.” It is like working the oar of a boat. The Holy Spirit takes hold of it with us, and we row together, pulling hard. He does not do it all for us, but He helps us. We do it together. Whatever you are dealing with, you are not dealing with it by yourself. The Holy Spirit is taking hold of it with you.

Paul speaks of this particularly in the context of prayer. “For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought.” By ourselves, we really do not know how or what to pray. This is true all the time, but we become painfully aware of it when we encounter situations we have never seen before or are overwhelmed by difficulties. Fortunately, the Spirit lays hold with us. We do not know how to pray, but He always does. This may manifest in a number of ways.

• There may be no words at all, only groaning or weeping. Sometimes as I have prayed for someone, I have suddenly found myself weeping almost uncontrollably for him or her. That is the Spirit releasing the burden of my heart to the Father. Some people call this “travailing prayer.”
• There may be Scriptures that suddenly come to mind which pertain to the situation. The Holy Spirit is leading you by the Word of God, not only giving you direction, but stirring up your faith as well, because faith comes by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). As those Scriptures come, and faith arises in your heart, turn them into prayer.
• There may be words in a language you do not understand. This is called “praying in tongues.” Though you may not know exactly what you are praying, the Holy Spirit does, because it is a gift from Him. He knows exactly what needs to be said, and He will say it through your tongue, if you allow Him. If you have never experienced this gift,, you can even ask Him to release it in you.
• There may be no special manifestation whatsoever. But that’s okay because the Holy Spirit is laying hold and interceding with you nonetheless. Pray out what you know and trust that the Holy Spirit is pulling on heaven with you.

In whatever way the Spirit works with you in prayer, you can be sure that the Father will hear and honor it, for you will be praying according to the will of God.

Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:27)

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)

You and I do not know how to pray, but the Spirit of God does. When you pray, trust that He is there laying hold and pulling with you. Listen for how He may be leading you. Then pray with great expectation.

Confessing My Happiness

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

(Psalm 1:1-3)

My Confession: Today I am deliriously happy because I do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. Instead, I take great delight in the Law of the Lord — the Word of God. I think about it all the time, letting it tune my heart, train my thoughts, change my will and fill my mouth — to make me more like Jesus! Therefore, I am like a tree planted by rivers of living water; I bear fruit in season; my leaf does not wither, and whatever I do prospers. I thank the Lord for the deep happiness, great success and rich prosperity I have now because of Him.

Walking Tabernacles

So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. (1 Chronicles 16:1)

The Ark of the Covenant was the sign of God’s presence among His people. Wherever it went, it brought blessing to those who honored it. But it also brought judgment on the enemies of God. When the Ark fell into the hands of the Philistines, they set it in the temple of Dagon, their own little god. They actually thought they had the God of Israel captured in a box and that, once in their possession, He would have to protect them. But God can never be held in a box, and the Ark merely symbolized the presence of His rule and reign. Since the Philistines had no respect for God Himself, the box did them no good. To their chagrin, they discovered that it brought only judgment upon them. They set it their temple, but the next morning they found the idol of Dagon had fallen over, its face to the ground before the Ark of God and its arms broken off. After seven months, the Philistines decided that it would be better for them to return the Ark to Israel (you can read the whole story 1 Samuel 4:1-7:2).

Unfortunately, the people of Israel had developed the same “God in the box” mentality themselves and had become quite fearful of the Ark. So they settled it in Kirjath Jearim, where it remained for twenty years. When David finally became king of Israel, he went and defeated the Philistines, then turned his attention to the Ark of God. After a false start, he finally led the Ark into Jerusalem, dancing before the Lord with all his might (2 Samuel 6). Then he established a place for it and erected a tabernacle. According to the literal meaning of the words, he “pitched” a “tent” over it. In this simple way, the presence of God was once again made manifest in Israel.

But that is the Old Covenant. In the New Covenant, cut with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the people of God now have God Himself dwelling within. That which was only typified in the Old Testament tabernacle is now fulfilled in the Church. Paul said, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). We are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Himself as the cornerstone “in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21). Peter said, “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). Not only are we collectively the temple of God, but we are even so individually. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

We are living, breathing tabernacles walking around with the Ark of God — which is the Lord Jesus Christ — inside us. It is a blessing to all who are willing to receive Him, but also a judgment on every work that stands against the will of God. The book of Acts presents a very interesting example of this.

And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed. (Acts 5:14-16)

Peter walked with a great awareness of this divine, powerful presence — the life of Jesus — dwelling within. As a result, he “cast a shadow” that released the judgment of God on sickness and brought healing to many. Because Jesus was on the inside, the power and blessing of God manifested on the outside as people laid hold of it by faith. He was a walking tabernacle.

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, He dwells within you by the Holy Spirit. He is the Ark of God living inside you. The power to heal and to bless with he blessing of God is present within you, just as Jesus Himself healed and blessed in His earthly ministry two thousand years ago. You are a walking tabernacle of the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

(See also The Shadow of Glory)

The Table of Provision

And Abraham called the name of the place, The LORD Will Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” (Genesis 22:14)

Abraham showed his faith and God stayed his hand from slaying his son Isaac as an offering to the Lord. But a sacrifice was now needed for the burnt offering. “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son” (Genesis 22:13) So Abraham called that place “The LORD Will Provide,” because God had provided a ram for the need.

The Hebrew word for “provide” is yireh, but the root of that word is ra’ah, which means to see. God saw the need and made “provision” for it (you will notice that even our English word has reference to “vision”). A preacher explained it this way: God saw Abraham and Isaac coming up one side of the mountain, and knowing that there would be a need, He brought the ram up the other side of the mountain as a provision to meet that need.

There is a beautiful picture of redemption here. Just as Abraham would not withhold his son from God, God did not withhold His Son from us. And just as Isaac was redeemed by the ram that died in his place, that ram was a type, or foreshadow, of the One who came to die in our place, for our sins. God saw, from the beginning, that mankind would need a savior to deliver us from the terrible results of Adam’s rebellion, and He provided for that need by sending His own Son. That is why Jesus is called “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

God is the Provider. Jesus is the provision, and in Him we have everything we need. His Hebrew name is Yeshua, which means “salvation.” It includes forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with the Father, deliverance from danger, freedom from captivity, spiritual and physical healing, restoration, preservation and the provision for every need.

David declared, “O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup” (Psalm 16:5). Jesus is our portion, our provision, the One who fills our cup. And again, “I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD” (Psalm 116:13). Jesus is the cup of our salvation—the Hebrew word for “salvation” here is yeshuah — and we can call upon Him to take care of us in every way.

This morning I took the Table of the Lord with this name in mind as I contemplated the bread and the cup: The LORD My Provider. I continually have needs, but God is continually my provider, and Jesus is continually my provision. As Paul said, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

The LORD Will Provide! He has seen our needs, and in Jesus Christ, He freely gives us all things. Lay hold of that provision at the Table of the Lord.

Fulfilling the Law of God

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

Jesus said to him, “'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well. (James 2:8)

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. (1 John 3:21-23)

If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have been born again by the Spirit of God, and have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. You are part of the New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah:

“Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah — not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." (Jeremiah 31:31-33)

This is a new and better covenant, established on better promises and mediated through the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 8:6; Mark 14:24).

If you know Jesus, you have that going on inside of you. That is why Paul said, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Instead, you will be fulfilling all the law of God. But it does require the Holy Spirit working in you:

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:12-14)

Love fulfills the law of God, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of love:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

The Lord Jesus declared, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). In Him, we have the new life of the Spirit, so that we can truly walk in love, and so fulfill the law of God.

Forcefully Laying Hold

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12)

The NIV has it this way: "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."

• It is like Jacob wrestling with the angel of the LORD: "I will not let You go until You bless me" (Genesis 32:26).
• It is like the man who stumbled upon a rich treasure in a field, then he went and sold all that he had to buy that field, and so possess that treasure (Matthew 13:44).
• It is a bulldog tenacity.
• It is seeking first the kingdom of God and letting God take care of everything else.
• It is asking until you receive, seeking until you find, and knocking until the door is opened unto you.

Years ago, Phil Driscoll had a song high on the Christian charts called “Comin’ On Strong.” I always think of that whenever I read Matthew 11:12. The kingdom of God is coming on strong, and those who are coming on strong in response to it are the ones who are laying hold of it.

Ever since the days of John the Baptist, the kingdom of God has been forcefully advancing, and tenacious men have indeed been laying hold of it. When we are fully focused on God's kingdom, we will see it manifest in a very powerful. But if we hold it lightly, we will hardly recognize it. How serious are you about it?

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The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

The Secret, the Bible, and the Answer

An unexpected best-seller has recently been making the rounds, promoted as the path to health, wealth and happiness. It is called The Secret and is a compilation, by Rhonda Byrne, of motivational thoughts of people from various walks of life. It is not a new teaching, but a recycled one, a distillation of the “New Thought” philosophy movement from the late 1800’s. Essentially, “the secret” is what is known as the “law of attraction,” that “like attracts like” and that we tend to attract to ourselves whatever we focus ourselves on. Focus on poverty and sickness, for example, and that is what you’ll end up with. Focus on wealth and health, and happiness, and they shall be yours.

There is an underlying value to the book that is true: The world was created to respond to us. The Bible teaches us that the world was framed by the Word of God (Hebrews 11:3), and we were created in the image of God, to be like God, and to subdue the earth and exercise dominion over it (Genesis 1:26-28). Also, experiments in quantum physics demonstrate that the world does indeed respond to the very act of how we observe it.

What is left out, however, is the truth that sin has marred both mankind and the world. Remember that there were these two trees in the Garden of Eden: The Tree of Life, from which man could eat feely, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which was forbidden. Adam and Eve rebelled against God, ate from the forbidden tree, and disconnected from the life of God. The result is that the world was plunged under a curse. That is still the problem today.

The answer, however, is found in Jesus Christ, who sets us free from the penalty and power of sin. The apostle Paul tells us that all of creation is waiting for us to manifest this salvation:

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:19-21)

Just as the fall of man negatively affected creation, so the redemption of man also brings with it the restoration of creation.

But instead of eating from the Tree of Life and operating from the life of God, the life of the Spirit found in Jesus Christ, man keeps eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, trying to deal with good and evil apart from God. That is what The Secret ends up doing: It tries to deal with good and evil apart from the life of God and the power of the Holy Spirit — and that ultimately leads to death.

The Secret promotes positive thinking, which is not necessarily bad, just inadequate. Consider what Jesus had to say about changing the world:

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:22-24)

It begins with faith in God. It is not enough just to imagine mountains moving, or even to speak to them; we must also believe in our heart, and the faith by which we believe in our heart has everything to do with faith in God. Indeed, it is a faith that comes from God. The Bible says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

The Secret is not about the kind of faith that comes by hearing the Word of God, but merely about the power of human intention. Human intention can be very powerful, but when it is not directed by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, it can also be very destructive.

From a Christian point of view, the problem I have with The Secret is that it is not founded on the Word of God, by which the world itself was created, and by which faith comes. However, the current interest in The Secret gives us an opportunity similar to the one Paul had at Mars Hill. The Athenians had a temple to the “unknown God.” But Paul took that as an opportunity to tell them about this unknown God, and he preached Jesus to them (Acts 17:22-23).

Likewise, I do think that the people cited in The Secret have learned some things about how God's creation works, though they have missed some crucial aspects which are revealed to us in the Scriptures. But the things that they have learned presents a common ground for understanding, and a “Mars Hill” opportunity to bring the teaching of Scripture and especially the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Though man was created to subdue the earth and exercise dominion over it, the likeness of God in us was marred by Adam's sin in the Garden. But Jesus Christ, the Second Adam, we have redemption, so that we may be “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). In other words, what was lost in Adam is restored to us in Jesus Christ, and all creation is waiting for that to be revealed in the grown-up children of God (Romans 8:19-22).

THAT is the essential key, which The Secret lacks.

Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 2)

Here is the heart of God revealed in the prayer of the apostle John. God wants His people to be healthy, wealthy and wise.

HEALTHY. “I pray that you may … be in health.” Jesus came to remove our infirmities and bear our sicknesses (Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 8:16-17), and by His stripes—the penalty He suffered in our place — we are healed (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). He did that so that we could be in health.

WEALTHY. “I pray that you may prosper in all things.” To prosper is to do well, to have success in whatever you do. In Deuteronomy 28:8, God gives this promise to all those who walk in His ways:

The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

For those who delight in His ways and continually meditate on His Word, He says,

He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

(Psalm 1:3)

Prosperity and wealth are not just about finances and success in material things, but they are included.
 

WISE. “Just as your soul prospers.” This is the true measure of prosperity. You may have a lot of money, and success in many things, but if you miss it here, you have missed it all. Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). In God’s economy, as you prosper in your soul, that is how you will prosper in life.

In this letter, which the apostle John wrote to his disciple, Gaius, we see what soul prosperity looks like.

For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (3 John 3-4)

Did you spot the key? Prosperity of soul is about walking in truth; that is, walking in the ways of God. It is walking in the wisdom and revelation of the Holy Spirit, as Paul prayed for the believers at Ephesus, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit and wisdom of revelation in the knowledge of Him” (Ephesians 1:17). Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

But John also speaks of another key in his letter.

Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, who have borne witness of your love before the church. (3 John 5-6)

Prosperity of soul is about walking in love. Paul tells us that faith works “through love” (Galatians 5:6). Gaius believed the truth. He was “faithful” to it, or we might say that he was full of faith in it. Because he was full of faith in it, he lived it out, expressing it through love and hospitality. As John wrote in his first letter, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:1 8).

This may come as a surprise, but God wants you to be healthy, wealth and wise; to walk in His ways, be set free by His truth and experience the flow of His love filling you up and blessing others. That’s why Jesus came.

Core Strength

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39)

This morning at our Tuesday a.m. Bible study, we were discussing Romans 8:13, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” We were considering how we do this “by the Spirit.” One of the men shared something his personal fitness trainer told him about “core strength.”

Core strength is the strength of the muscles in your torso, which give stability and support to your spine, and the regions of your pelvis and your shoulders. Good core strength enables you to generate powerful movement of your arms and legs. My friend’s trainer related to him the power and importance of developing and using this core strength.

As he was telling us this, my mind went immediately to what Jesus said in John 7:38, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John notes in verse 39 that Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit.

“Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” The KJV says, “Out of his belly.” The Greek word refers literally to the abdomen, in the core of the body. Used figuratively, it speaks of the heart, the core of one’s being. Whoever believes in Jesus, out of the core of his being will flow rivers of living water.

“Rivers of living water” speaks of a powerful abundance. It is not a trickling stream or a gently babbling brook. No, think of the mighty Mississippi River and you will have a much better idea of what this is talking about. The mighty waters that issue forth from the core of those who know the Lord Jesus is the power and manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

That is what Paul is talking about in Romans 8:

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)

Think of it — the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead now dwells in all those who have been born again through Christ. That same power is now at work in us, in our spirits and our bodies, to bring about the will of God. This is the power Paul was talking about when he spoke of “Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,” and adds the startling revelation that God does this “according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20). That is, the power by which God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think actually dwells within us. It is the power of the Holy Spirit flowing forth from our innermost being to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and the works of Jesus (John 14:12). It is the power that destroys the works of the devil and the misdeeds of the flesh. It is the power to live a life that is pleasing to God. That is core strength.

Our part, then, is simply to yield to the Spirit of God and let Him lead us. That is how we come into spiritual maturity. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

Spiritual maturity in the Christian life is never about trying to do anything in our own strength, but by surrendering to the Holy Spirit and relying on Him as our core strength, and He will give powerful movement to everything we do.

Man ~ the Image of God

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image.” (Genesis 1:26)

Been studying a little bit about “image” in the Bible. Man was created originally to be in the image of God. In the Septuagint (aka. the LXX), the early Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, the word used for “image” is eikona ("icon").

In the New Testament, Paul tells us that Christ is the “image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Jesus could well say, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9), for He bore the Father's image. This, of course, is not about physical resemblance, but about the resemblance of essence or nature. The characteristics of the Father are the characteristics of the Son, and vice versa. The Greek word for “image” in 2 Corinthians 4:4 and Colossians 1:15 is the same one used in the Septuagint in Genesis 1:26: eikon.

Now consider Romans 8:29 in the light of that:

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

God's purpose for us is that we be conformed to the image of Christ. The Greek word for “image” in this verse is, once again, eikon.

Now, if Christ is the image of God (that is, the likeness of His nature and character), and we are conformed to the image of Christ (the likeness of His nature and character), then what does that say about us in relationship to God? That those we receive the Lord Jesus Christ are conformed to the likeness of the nature and character of God. Well did Peter say that we are meant to be partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

But this does not mean that we are like God in the exact same way that Jesus is. For Jesus is God Almighty, in and of Himself, who exists without beginning and without end. On the other hand, you and I are created beings. Jesus is God in the absolute sense, but we experience the divine nature in a derivative way — that is, the divine nature we possess is that which we receive from God.

From beginning to end, Scripture speaks about God's purpose for us to live as divine beings. Even Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” shows that man was created to dwell in the glory of God. Adam blew it when he sinned in the Garden, rebelling against God and disconnecting himself from the source of divine life, but in Jesus Christ we are restored to proper relationship with God, so that we may once again partake of the divine nature.

God created you and me to be His image on the earth. Adam blew it, but Jesus renewed it.

Divine Beings

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)

The amazing truth about mankind is that, from the very beginning, we were created as divine beings — to be like God. That is what the Scripture means which it says, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” That is such a mind-blower that even many Christians have a difficult time believing what it says. But we see this truth consistently through the Bible.

In Psalm 82:1, for example, we see calling together the judges of the earth to rebuke them for failing so miserably in their duties. “God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.” The Hebrew word for “gods” is elohim, usually translated as a reference to God Himself. But from the context, we see that it is here talking about men, calling them “gods.”We see it again in verse 6: “I said, ‘You are gods,’ and all of you are children of the Most High.”

Was that a slip-up on the part of the psalm writer? Maybe some sort of typographical error? No, not at all. Writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the psalmist really meant to refer to them as gods. These were human beings whom God expected to operate in a divine capacity, but He would not have done so had He not created man to be like Him.

The Lord Jesus references this passage in John 10:34-36:

Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?”

Jesus did not dispute this verse, or the fact that God spoke to men and said, “You are gods.” Rather, He confirmed it! He used it as a point to talk about His own divinity: If God said to men, “You are gods,” then why should the Jewish leaders get so bent when Jesus claimed to be the Son of God?

Now, we understand from other Scriptures that Jesus is uniquely the Son of God, that is, in such a way that is not true of anyone else (see John 3:16, for example). That is because He is the eternal Word of God who took on human flesh (John 1:1-18). Jesus is God in human flesh, and He did not think it took anything away from Him for men to be called “gods.” He was not offended by it one bit; He affirmed it.

God created man to be like Himself, a divine class of being. But where God is infinite in all His divine attributes, man finite in his god-likeness. God exists of Himself, but man is completely dependent upon God for his existence. God’s divinity is absolute; man’s divinity is derivative from God.

From Genesis 3, we know that Adam rebelled against God, believing the promise of the devil that he could be a god apart from Almighty God. But in that day, man died, having disconnected himself from the very source of his divine existence. That is why Jesus came, to destroy the works of the devil and reconcile man back to the Father. His redemptive work makes it possible for us to take up, once again, the divine nature God intended us to have from the beginning.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4)

To those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ, the divine power of God has restored everything required for life and god-likeness, so that we might be “partakers of the divine nature.”

Throughout the New Testament, those who receive Jesus are called “sons of God,” and “children of God.” “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). “Beloved, now we are children of God” (1 John 3:2). “For as many as are lead by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

What does it mean to be “children of God” and to partake of the divine nature? It is the law of reproduction:

• A dog has puppies. The puppies partake of the canine nature of the parents. They are a canine class of being.
• A sheep has lambs. The lambs partake of the ovine nature of the parents. They are an ovine class of being.
• A pig has piglets. The piglets partake of the porcine nature of the parents. They are a porcine class of being.
• A bear has cubs. The cubs partake of the ursine nature of the parents. They are an ursine class of being.

All this is how God planned it from the beginning — everything reproduces after its kind. That means that a dog does not have pups that are not canines, and a cat does not have kittens that are not felines.

What does it means, then, that we are called “sons of God,” and “children of God?” It means that we are beings like Him, we partake of His divine nature. We are a divine class of being — created by God to be so; redeemed by Jesus Christ to be so.

Why is this important? Because it is who we are in Jesus Christ. Not only that, but all of creation is waiting for us to get this revelation. For when Adam sinned, he brought the world under a curse. But in Jesus Christ, we have redemption, not only for ourselves, but for the creation as well.

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (Romans 8:19-22)

You and I were created as diving beings. Though we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), the Lord Jesus has come to reconnect us to Father God, so that we may once again partake of the divine nature, to fellowship with God and do His will upon the earth. All of creation is waiting for you and me to get this revelation so that it, too, can be redeemed.

Having Satisfaction in the Household of God

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house. (Psalm 65:4)

God is good. Everything He does is good. Everything He gives is good. Every good thing comes from Him. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, which whom there is no shadow of turning” (James 1:17). Good He is; good He shall ever be.

God does not withhold any of His goodness from His people. “The LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). He “gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). He is the God who “satisfies your mouth [your desires] with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:5).

What complete and utter satisfaction we have in God. He fills us to the brim, and then He makes our cup overflow.

How precious is your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

(Psalm 36:7-8)

Drink deeply of the goodness of God. Everything you’ll ever need can be found in Him in abundance and He offers it to you freely in Jesus Christ. Dive into the river of His pleasures until you are thoroughly satisfied in His love.

Help! Quickly!

Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!

(Psalm 70:1)

Years ago I went on retreat with a group of Presbyterian men to a Trappist house in Conyers, GA, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit. The times of prayer we experienced there often began with this verse: “O God, come to my assistance; O LORD, make haste to help me.” Prayer and worship is the work of God and, therefore, requires His assistance. So that is what the monks asked for as they launched into the work.

This afternoon I was reminding God about the truck my son-in-law needs for his carpentry business. He wants a Ford F-150, and my wife and I have been believing God to supply him with a real honey of a truck — late model, low mileage, nice paint job in a color Matt likes, reliable, good on gas, air conditioner that blows cold, and a sweet sound system. His present vehicle is an old Jeep Cherokee that has more than seen its day. I could tell you what it needs, but it would be faster to tell you what it doesn’t need, which is next to nothing. Sometimes my daughter has to drive it, and that really motivates me, as a father, to keep this request before the Lord.

Anyway, as I was praying, this verse came to mind: “Make haste to help, O Lord.” Because sometimes we don’t just need help — we need it FAST! So I found myself saying, “Lord, bring that truck QUICKLY!”

David found himself in scrapes, more than once, when He needed God to act and to act quickly, because adversity was quickly closing in on him. As he lines out his request in this psalm, he is at same time declaring his trust and the glory of God. Recognizing how helpless he is without God, he ends his prayer

But I am poor and needy;
Make haste to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay. (v. 5)

The Message Bible puts it this way (although I think it could probably use a few more exclamation points:

But I've lost it. I'm wasted.
God — quickly, quickly!
Quick to my side, quick to my rescue!
GOD, don't lose a minute.

Some things can’t wait, and its okay to remind the Lord about it, even very emphatically. But never fear, and remember that He is also the Lord over time.

The Table of His Faithfulness

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. (Psalm 37:3)

Dwelling and feeding — they go together. Many people do not take the time to dwell, so they miss out on the feeding. We live in a fast-food nation, and many Christians are looking for a “microwavable spirituality,” something they can heat up in a minute or two. We need more of a “Paris” mentality, because the French know something about taking the time to really enjoy a meal.

We need to learn how to take time for our relationship with God. That is the real value of spiritual disciplines. If they are nothing more than items to check off our list of “spiritual activities” then they are pretty worthless. Their real value lies in helping us to make room to be with God, to hear Him and fellowship with Him. When we learn to do that, it will not be like “popping in” for a visit. We will find that, when we have to turn our attention to other matters, we will still be dwelling with Him, for we will be more aware of His presence at every moment of life. We will be feeding on His faithfulness.

Various translations of this phrase, “feed on His faithfulness,” include:

• “Enjoy faithfulness.” (Young’s Literal Translation)
• “Cherish faithfulness.” (Jewish Publication Society)
• “Befriend faithfulness.” (English Standard Version)

The Hebrew verb those words render actually has to do with shepherding. It is the word ra’ah, which means to pasture, graze, feed, or tend. We “feed” on His faithfulness, for He is a faithful shepherd, as we see in the Psalm 23, the “Shepherd Psalm.”

At the Table of the Lord, we see Jesus, the Good Shepherd who “gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He Himself is the door for the sheep, who guards the fold and keeps out intruders. He watches over the sheep in their coming and going.

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. (John 10:9)

The NIV renders Psalm 37:3, “Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” Our Shepherd is always there, guiding and providing for us. He who laid down His life for us — is there anything He will withhold from us?

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep … My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. (John 10:7-15, 27-29)

The Table of the Lord is a wonderful place to feed on the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. Come to this table often to luxuriate in His love and soak in His presence. Then as you go, you will know that He is with you always in all the paths you must travel.

Romans 8:31-39 is another great passage to feed on concerning His faithfulness toward all those who trust in Him.

Under the Wings of Mercy

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust
  under the shadow of Your wings.

(Psalm 36:7)

The Hebrew word for “lovingkindness” is chesed. It is the covenant love and mercy of God by which He promises to be kind to all who come to Him. And it is wonderful! The New King James and other versions translate the Hebrew word yaqar as “precious.” The King James Version calls it “excellent.” The Message Bible uses “exquisite.” Brown-Driver-Briggs defines it as “valuable, prized, weighty, precious, rare, splendid.” It is a word used of precious stones or jewels.

The lovingkindness of God is beyond compare. No wonder, then, that the children of men take refuge under the shadow of His wings. The word for “wings,” kanaph, comes from a Hebrew root that refers to being hidden away from view in a corner. To hide under the wings of something means to come up under the edges. The wings of a bird provide a good analogy: Picture a mother hen gathering her chicks up under her wings.

In the Old Testament, Hebrew men were to makes tassels on the corners of the their garments, each one containing a ribbon blue, which symbolized divine authority (Numbers 15:37-38). The Hebrew word for these corners was kanaph. Now, remember the woman with the “issue of blood,” who came up behind Jesus to touch the “hem” or “border” of His garment (Luke 8:43-44). This “hem” or “border” was the tassel of His prayer shawl.

This woman was desperate! She had lived with this condition for twelve years, finding no relief, even though she spent all she had on doctors. What is more, it rendered her ceremonially unclean. She could have been stoned to death for coming out in public and touching anyone. But she came up behind Jesus anyway, repeating to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well” (Matthew 9:21).

In the eyes of the world she was taking a huge risk. But she was a woman of great faith. Perhaps she had remembered Psalm 36:7, “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.”

And now, here was Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Healer, Jesus the Son of God, walking in her midst, and the shadow of His kanaph, His “corners,” His “wings” was so very close. And she so desperately needed the lovingkindness and tender mercies of God to be poured out upon her — she went for it with determined faith. She reached out — and she was immediately healed!

Jesus wheeled around. “Who touched Me?” He said, but He was not angry. Instead, He was impressed, because that touch drew out His power. “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” When the woman revealed herself, He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace” (Luke 8:48).

There is nothing greater in this world than the lovingkindness of God. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). He has promised His great love and mercy to all those who trust in Him, and there is no kindness He will not show to those who do. How precious it is to live under the shadow of His wings.

(See also Healing in His Corners.)

The LORD God of Truth

Into your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O LORD God of Truth.

(Psalm 31:5)

David experienced Yahweh as the “God of Truth.” The Hebrew word for “truth” is emeth, and refers to the firmness, sureness, certainty, reliability, stability, faithfulness, truthfulness or trustworthiness of a thing. It comes from the root word aman, which means to build up, support, and be firm. It speaks of permanence and a sure foundation, of pillars that can carry the load.

You might recognize the Aramaic cousin of aman, a word that Jesus used often, the word “amen.” It is translated in many versions as “truly,” or “assuredly.” Whenever Jesus began with “Amen, amen,” or “Truly, truly,” He was being most emphatic about the truth of what followed. Today we might say, “You can take that to the bank!”

This is the kind of God we serve, the God of Truth. Everything He says is utterly trustworthy. His words give stability. Indeed, the worlds were created, and are sustained, by His words (Hebrews 11:3; 1:3). They are a firm foundation.

So how did David come to this powerful revelation? It was not an idle speculation or untested theory. No, it was something he experienced time and again, going back to his days as a young shepherd boy:

David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard and struck and killed it.” (1 Samuel 17:34-35)

David’s trust in God’s faithfulness was the basis for his most famous exploit:

“Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the Living God.” Moreover David said, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:36-37)

In Psalm 31, David was once again in a scrape. Not only was the enemy pressing in hard, but even his neighbors and acquaintances were deserting him. There were a lot of people out to kill him, and none to help.

But David committed himself to the Lord. He cast his burden, his life — his whole being — over onto the God of Truth, the Faithful One. This was no piecemeal negotiation (“I’ll do this if You do that”) but a wholesale commitment, totally entrusting himself into the faithful hands of God. He had no backup plan. He didn’t need one; he knew that God would not let him down.

David committed himself to God in the direst of circumstances, and the Lord redeemed him, ransomed him, rescued him, delivered him, preserved him, just as He had done so many times before.

You can always commit yourself into the hands of God with full confidence. He will never let you down, for He is the LORD, God of Truth.

Faith is Knowing That God Will

Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will.

~ Ben Stein

You might recognize Ben Stein from numerous Visine commercials. Or perhaps you remember him as a teacher in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (“Anyone? Anyone?”) or his roles in a number of other movies. He is an economist by training, the author of a few books and a syndicated column. He is also a staunch pro-life advocate. But his chief goal is to be a good husband, father and son.

He is also a man of faith, and he understands something about the dynamic of faith that many religious people just don’t get. Faith is not about acknowledging the possibilities of what God can do. Many people understand that God can do the impossible. But faith, the Bible kind of faith, is believing not only what God can do, but what God will do.

Many Christians shrug and say, “Well, you never know what God is gonna do.” Apparently, they do not pay much attention when they read their Bibles, because if they did, they would indeed know what God is going to do, because He reveals His will many times concerning a variety of situations. The Word may not tell us precisely how or exactly when He is going to do certain things, but it does reveal that He is going to do them.

For example, concerning sickness and disease, God reveals that Jesus has already taken these things upon Himself, and that whoever comes to Him in faith will be healed (I’ve written a book about that called Healing Scriptures and Prayers). Concerning lack, He has revealed that He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Concerning the many troubles that the righteous may experience, He has revealed that He will deliver us out of them all.

Faith is not only believing that God can, it is knowing that He will.

What is the level of your faith? It is good to believe that God can do these things for you, but it is a breakthrough when you know that God will do them for you. That is when mountains move.

That's MY King!

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